Are We Near the Peak of the Virus Attack?

This is Palm’s Sunday April 5, 2020 and the sun is trying to come out or the first time today.  We woke to rain and it rained at a pretty good pace before breakfast.  Once it slowed to a trickly.  It rained less  after breakfast.  The thing is the weather predictors are saying that the major rain won’t arrive till later today.  Pilgrims in Jerusalem weren’t able to retrace the steps Jesus Christ took on Palm’s Sunday because Israel has closed down church services.  However they did ring bells.  Catholics are delivering mass to an empty church because everyone is viewing on-line.   Borris Johnson is being  hospitalized after ten days of having the Corona virus because the governmental authorities are worried about his health.  On Friday they said that you pretty much had to wear masks  if you were going to venture out in public, but at the same time the president said he personally won’t wear a mask and stresses that the move is voluntary.  This is all old news except to my blog readers because I’m so far behind in my blogging.  The question now is, “Is the peak anywhere in sight?”  There is growing evidence that the peak is in sight.  Growth rates of the virus have slowed from 25% or higher to ten or twelve percent. Hopefully next week we will see another ten percent drop in growth rate and the increase will be two percent.  And the weak after that should feature an eight percent drop.  That would be something.  But it all depends on how much of a backlog there is in testing.  But the president has stated that this will be the worst week where there will be “a lot of death”.  The peak will probably come about Income Tax paying time, though I’m not sure if that date still holds or not.  They showed the disease rate for Italy.  What I noticed is that there are multiple spikes in the curve.  The highest point occurred on March 21^st but several other lesser spikes have occurred since then.  President Trump doesn’t want any delays in the NFL season and I see no reason why there should be one since that season does not get underway till mid August.  But our esteemed governor insists that this is not enough time to insure that the virus spread has been sufficiently controlled.

(Friday) Yesterday they moved back the Democratic convention from July to August.  I hope that satisfies everybody.  Wisconsin is going ahead with their primary next Tuesday, and that’s a good thing.  It gives the feeling of getting back to normal.  Now everyone is saying to wear a homemade mask when you go out in public.  But don’t wear the surgical mask the medical workers wear because they’re in short supply.   There seems to be some flattening of the new exposure statistics at least in California.  But the rest of the country is high.  There are still ten or so state governors that haven’t shut down their state yet.  Democrats are starting to say that the hundred to two hundred thousand lives are on President Trump’s hands.  But the thing is the normal death rate for a flu winter is about 24,000 and we still aren’t anywhere close to that, but I know with the growth rates we will surpass that within the week.  When there is some exchange around here of property from someone on the outside a professional person here has to meet them and be wearing gloves.  There was a rumor a week ago that the NBA would start again playing games in mid May but without an audience.  Even that would be an improvement. 

(Saturday) I borrowed two cigarettes from Tao.  He lectured me about Jesus and showed me his gold cross with I guess the Virgin Mary on it.  I was going to blog today but I don’t have enough material.   Jesus, just like Martin Luther King,  was cut off in the prime of life and could have accomplishes so much more.  You aren’t supposed to think about that. 

On a personal level we in this board and care home have been under the most severe of restrictions the past three weeks where you can't even walk to the local liquor store to get coffee.  In Laguna Woods old people were worried that a hotel would be taken over by sick people spreading their virus.  But we are assured these people are quarantined.  They can't even walk a few yards outside their restrictions.  This is the governor's doing.  I see no reason to exagurate the severity of this pandemic.  We know numbers will be high the next two weeks.  But I don't see why in May you can't reopen parks and trails and beaches, or allow swimming parties with neighbors you know, and the like.  After all one big reason why flu rates drop in the spring is because people are outdoor more.  Barbecuing and gardening are good hobbies.  I think we can agree that the NBA and the NHL seasons are pretty much "toast" for this year, but I don't see why we can't have various tennis matches or the tour de France and the All Stats in baseball and other events that we have in the summer time.  We all don't need to be as negative as Governor Newsen.  I didn't vote for him last time and I sure as heck am not voting for him the next time he comes up for election.  Utah doesn't have a blanket "stay at home" order and they're doing OK so far.  We'll see what happens in the next few weeks.